This invention relates to an improved nutcracking machine in general and, more particularly, to a walnut cracking machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,144,841 discloses a nutcracking machine utilizing a pair of rollers having longitudinal ribs. The spacing between rollers is adjustable, but the distance between rollers is fixed, effectively allowing smaller sized nuts to pass between rollers without being cracked. A further disadvantage is that foreign material passing through the rollers may well jam or scar the surface of the rollers. A further disadvantage with longitudinal rollers is their tendency to crush with the rib, causing excessive and damaging impact on the nut meat.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,316,025 utilizes a complex arrangement of rollers having longitudinal ribs and the same operating limitations of U.S. Pat. No. 2,144,841.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,875,799 discloses a mechanism for breaking nut meats which utilizes a rotating tine for projecting into spaces between rotating discs. This mechanism would be quite ineffective in cracking shells of nuts largely because of the fixed spacing between the rotating discs, to say nothing of the presence of the third rotational body, the tines.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,183,574 relates to a cutting mechanism for cracking cereal grain. The mechanism utilizes sharp cutting edges to cut the grain and is not pertinent to cracking of nuts.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,879,952 relates to a rock crushing machine. The configuration does not apply to nutcracking, in that smaller rocks pass between the rolls without any crushing action.